Three tent camps in Ingushetia that collectively house some 25,000 displaced persons from Chechnya are to be closed by the end of March, ITAR-TASS reported on 27 February, quoting a Chechen Interior Ministry official. On 29 February, Igor Yunash, who is first deputy head of the Federal Migration Service of the Russian Interior Ministry, said that the Bart camp will close within days, as there are only 20 families with a total of 67 people still living there. Chechen Deputy Prime Minister Bekhlis Badaeva told ITAR-TASS on 29 February that the Chechen government

BAGHDAD, March 1 (AFP) - Iraqi leaders reached agreement early Monday to draw up a basic law, a major step on the road to winning back sovereignty, as Polish troops shot dead a bus driver and wounded several others at a checkpoint.

"We just broke out (of the meeting). The Fundamental Law has been concluded. An agreement has been concluded, there is consensus on every single point," said Entifadh Qanbar, representative of Iraqi National Council head Ahmad Shalabi.

The 25 council members, with guidance from US overseer Paul Bremer, have been working day and night to finalise

COLOMBO, March 1 (AFP) - Moderate ethnic Tamils Monday unveiled their manifesto for April parliamentary elections with a warning that delays in resolving Sri Lanka's bloody ethnic conflict could lead to a break-up of the island nation.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which includes proxies of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, said in a nine-page document that they wanted a new government here to immediately revive peace talks with Tiger rebels.

"The Sinhala nation should come forward soon to resume peace talks with the LTTE for establishing an Interim

ALHUCEMAS (MOROCCO): SITUATION REPORT 4
Latest updates are underlined

1. The Alhucemas earthquake, which hit in the early hours of Tuesday 24th February, has caused 572 deaths and hundreds of wounded.

2. HM the King, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs each offered Spain's aid to their Moroccan counterparts as soon as they were informed of the news (the Moroccan Foreign Minister later gave a more specific indication of the aid that would be necessary).

3. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, through

PORT-AU-PRINCE, March 1 (AFP) - Dozens of French troops arrived Monday in Haiti, joining US Marines and Canadian Special Forces already on the ground in the crisis-wracked country.

The troops arrived at the international airport in Port-au-Prince on two transport planes early Monday morning. A third plane was expected, bringing to 150 the number of French troops in the Haitian capital.

France also has dispatched a platoon of gendarmes from a special riot control unit to help maintain order in Haiti after President Jean Bertrand Aristide resigned and fled into exile on Sunday.

WELLINGTON, Mar 1, 2004 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- New Zealand has announced an emergency relief worth of 70,000 NZ dollars (about 49,000 US dollars) for Cyclone-hit Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean.

Acting Foreign Affairs Minister Marian Hobbs said in a statement Sunday that the money would be used to put together 3, 000 packages containing hygiene kits, matches, candles, water bottles, kitchen utensils and other items that would help people " begin to pick up their lives".

The relief kits would be distributed by the Red Cross as soon as possible.

NAIROBI, 1 March (IRIN) - A tripartite agreement was signed on Thursday in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo, in an effort to restart rail traffic in the still-insecure Pool department of southeastern Congo.
According to a government statement issued on Friday, the accord was signed by representatives of the army and police force, the state rail company (Chemin de fer Congo Ocean - CFCO) and "Ninja" rebels loyal to Rev Frederic Bitsangou, alias Ntoumi.

"I call on everyone to strictly adhere to this new engagement we have made for peace, so that we may attain

AL HOCEIMA, Mar.01 - HM King Mohammed VI issued this Monday instructions to consolidate the emergency plan set forth to protect the health of families housed in tents and of the populations in the quake-stricken northeastern region.
HM the king who is in Al-Hoceima since Saturday in a camp pitched for the sovereign to closely follow up the relief and assistance services extended to quake-stricken populations in the northeastern provinces, gave his instructions to consolidate the emergency plan in order to face any contingency until daily life resumes normal in all the areas

YANGON, Mar 1, 2004 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- The Japanese government will extend more grant aid to Myanmar to improve maternal and child health care services in rural areas of the country, according to a press release of the Japanese Embassy here Monday.

The grassroots grant assistance of 6.2 million US dollars through the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will be for purchasing essential drugs, vaccines and test kits for HIV/AIDS among others, the release said.

Notes on the provision of the aid for launching the project was signed here on Monday between the Japanese Embassy